This time of year we are sharing seeds, setting up grow lights on timers, and germinating our little seeds that will grow from tiny sprouts to gorgeous plants that will bear spectacular flowers, delicious fruits, and seeds so we can do it all again next year!
On March 19th Ken Green from Hudson Valley Seed Library gave an inspirational presentation at BBG. The Hudson Valley Seed Library is my favorite place to buy seeds as they specialize in open-pollinated heirloom seeds that are regionally adapted and thrive in New York. Like a library, HVSL members who choose to save seeds from the plants they grow may return seeds they collect for credits toward their next year’s membership – how cool! Each year they invite local NY artists to design art for 10 seed “art packs.” Some HVSL varieties I am excited about are King of the North Pepper and Mama Leone Tomato which Ginger will grow in her plot this season!
Seed Saving has been on my mind for the last year and I am eager to learn more about it. Last fall I managed to collect basil, calendula, snap dragon, and marigold seeds from our garden. They have all germinated indoors except the marigold. I’ll keep track of they do this year in the garden.
I have 2 Lacinato kale plants that are 19 months old in the garden. They were transplanted in fall 2008 and have survived 2 winters unprotected in the garden. They produced more delicious kale than I expected and were more resistant to white flies than the other brassicas in the garden. Kale is a biennial meaning it will complete it’s life cycle in two years. It will send up a flower stalk and produce seeds in the second year. Most garden vegetables are annuals and will complete their life cycle in one year. I have my fingers crossed that these 2 kale plants will send up flower stalks this spring, get pollinated and produce seeds that I can collect and grow again this fall. This sounds like a fun experiment!
If anyone experiments with seed collecting this season – please post your photos and notes about it here!
